The present invention relates in general to plants for electric power generation or for heat accumulation, which use solar radiation as an energy source. These plants include, in a manner known per se, a plurality of mirrors that allow the solar radiation to be concentrated towards a predetermined reception zone.
It is well known that the cost of energy generated from solar radiation is mainly due to manufacturing cost of the plants itself and their components. Therefore, in order to obtain energy at a low cost, it is critical to hold down manufacturing costs of these plants. Especially in large plants, it is convenient to limit as much as possible manufacturing, installation and maintenance costs of the concentrator mirrors, which constitute their main elements.
More particularly, the invention relates to a structure of a concentrator mirror.
Such a structure is generally known from U.S. Pat. No. 5,069,540 that describes a mirror for concentrating solar energy comprising an elongated panel member having a hollow structure which is delimited, on opposite sides, by generally curved front and back surfaces. The panel member is associated with a beam member, preferably having a tubular shape, which defines a hinge axis for rotation of the mirror, which hinge axis can be interposed between the front surface and the back surface of the panel member. The structure of this mirror is relatively complex to be manufactured, and expensive.